The Donner Party and Mormon migrations Flashcards
When did the Donner Party set off on their journey?
12 May 1846
How many migrants and wagons were part of the Donner Party?
300 migrants in 60 wagons
Where did the Donner Party leave, and where were they planning to go?
They left Independence, Missouri, on their way to California
How did George Donner and James F Reed find out about a shortcut?
They read about it in a new guidebook by Lansford Hastings (the “Hastings shortcut”)
How much distance would the Hastings Shortcut supposedly take from the established trail?
550km
How many migrants and wagons took the Hastings Shortcut?
80 migrants in 20 wagons
What did Lansford Hastings’s guidebook say about the shortcut? Was it accurate?
It was a fine road with plenty of grass and water
No!
What problems did the migrants on the Hastings shortcut face?
Steep inclines, trees blocking the path
How quickly did the migrants on the Hastings shortcut travel? How did this compare to those on the established trail?
1.5 miles a day
Compared to 15 miles a day on the established trail
How many of the 20 wagons did the migrants on the Hastings shortcut lose?
4
When the migrants rejoined the main trail route on 23 October, how much travel time had they lost?
One month
What did the Donner Party migrants find when they reached the Sierra Nevada mountains in November?
Their route was blocked with snow
Give three things the Donner Party migrants had to do to survive in the Sierra Nevada mountains in winter
Killed their animals for food
Ate the ox hides that acted as roofs for their cabins
Ate each other
What proportion of the Donner Party migrants had died by February 1847?
Almost half
Why were the Mormons rejected by other Christians?
They believed in polygamy (a man could have multiple wives at once)
Why were other people envious of the Mormons?
They worked hard and were successful - and they said they were God’s chosen people
Why were the Mormons unpopular in Independence, Missouri?
Missouri was a slave state, but the Mormons had anti-slavery beliefs
What did the Mormons do in Nauvoo, Illinois?
They built their own independent city state
What happened to the Mormon leader Joseph Smith in 1844 and why?
He was arrested and jailed
He announced he was standing for President
Who replaced Joseph Smith as leader of the Mormons when Smith was murdered in 1845?
Brigham Young
Give four reasons why Brigham Young wanted the Mormons to migrate to the Salt Lake Valley
1) It was very isolated
2) Reports suggested there was water and fertile land
3) Mormons could live close together to retain their beliefs
4) It was in Mexico at that time - not the US
When did the first group of Mormons set off to build a chain of rest camps across the Plains?
February 1846
Why were the Mormons forced to leave Illinois in February, not the warmer spring?
They faced hostility
Where did the Mormons settle by June 1846?
Omaha (northern starting point of the Oregon Trail)
What did Brigham Young decide to do in June 1846 when the Mormons reached Omaha?
Stay in Omaha until the following spring, rather than travel on to the Salt Lake Valley
How many Mormons and wagons set off for the Salt Lake Valley in April 1847?
150 Mormons, 70 wagons
Why was the first group of Mormons to leave Omaha for the Salt Lake Valley well-prepared for the 2,000km journey?
They had enough food for a year and a portable boat to help with river crossings
How did the Pioneer Band of Mormons (the first group to leave Omaha) help other Mormons make the journey?
They marked out the most suitable route to follow and cleared the route where needed, while locating water sources, setting up river crossings and planting vegetable crops
When did the Pioneer Band reach the Salt Lake Valley?
21 July 1847
How many Mormons left Omaha as the Pioneer Band arrived at the Salt Lake Valley?
1,500 Mormons
How many Mormons had arrived at the Salt Lake Valley by the winter of 1847?
2,000 Mormons
Give SIX things Brigham Young did to ensure the Mormon migration was successful
1) Counted all the Mormons and wagons they had
2) Consulted with trail guides and explorers to find out about Salt Lake Valley before travelling
3) Divided migrants into smaller, manageable groups, each with their own leader
4) Insisted on strict discipline, with everyone having a job to do
5) Taught the migrants how to form their wagons into a circle at night to protect their livestock
6) Planned regular resting places across the route
